The fact is Nampa has produced some of the Treasure Valley’s most talented musicians devoted to creating excellent indie music.

You’ve read about The Invasion in these pages. Indie songstress and Nampa native Kris Doty, who has developed a faithful following, has also been featured. This time, pay attention to Jeremy Jensen, a 1994 graduate from Nampa High School who writes and performs as The Very Most. Jensen, who actually attended Nampa High with Doty, has deep roots in the local music scene, performing in multiple bands as well as recording them through Coming in Second, a label he’s run from a studio located in the backyard of his Boise home.

“Congratulations Forever” marks Jensen’s second release as The Very Most in four years, and it’s basically akin to sucking on a giant lollipop. Jensen has crammed a lifetime of sunshine into 13 tracks of well-crafted, quirky indie pop, layering melody upon melody and instrument upon instrument, with help from roughly two dozen local talents, including Doty, John McMahon (Built to Spill, Kris Doty), Aage Nielson (Darkwood Consort) and Jonah Shue (Frim Fram Four), among others.

This indie pop is in a great, great mood ... even for indie pop.

For kicks, Jensen offers up what he believes to be the first-ever hidden track — titled “Hidden Tracke” — that calls attention to itself. Another first, he believes, includes a cover of a Built to Spill song (“When Not Being Stupid is Not Enough”) by a local band.

The band currently performs as a trio, with Jensen on main vocals and guitar, Zach Von House on bass and Allen Ellie on drums.

— Ben Fletcher, PLAY editor

(Visit www.theverymost.com for more info) 

(Appeared in April 25, 2008 issue of PLAY Magazine)